Charlotte City Council does not have the power to stop the project. That authority lies with the Charlotte Regional Transportation Planning Organization.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. โ Sustain Charlotte unveiled new proposals Thursday to connect west Charlotte to Uptown, as debate over the future of I-77 toll lanes continued to swirl at the government center.
The presentation of sustainable alternative concepts from the community came on the same day Charlotte City Council canceled a special meeting scheduled to address the toll lane debate. Council members say there is no plan to reschedule that meeting at this point. The cancellation came just days after the council votedย 6-5 to rescind its support for the toll lane project.
Despite the council’s move, Charlotte City Council does not have the power to stop the project. That authority lies with the Charlotte Regional Transportation Planning Organization, known as the CRTPO.
Councilmember Ed Driggs, the city council representative on the CRTPO, will now go to the organization to request a vote to rescind its full support for the project. The planning organization is made up of representatives from the state, local communities and more.ย
Mecklenburg County rejected the toll lane plan initially, as did board members representing some neighboring towns.
The city’s recent shift could mean there are now enough votes on the CRTPO to halt the project. The CRTPO’s next meeting is scheduled for May 20.
“I can tell you this, that the county position has not changed, and I suspect it won’t change,” County Commissioner Chairman Mark Jerell said after the meeting. “We are clearly on the side of people. We voted the way we did when the project was proposed. With the additional information, I don’t see the county position changing, and so if the city tees up that motion, I suspect the county will be in lockstep.”
He also doubled down on his call for an independent study into other options.
“The residents that we serve are never an inconvenience,” he said. “Their voices matter. History matters. And we’re going to do the right thing. We’re going to do it the right way, and we’re going to do everything we can to do the right thing. But we’re not going to be rushed, we’re not going to be cajoled, we’re not going to be threatened.”
Contact Julie Kay at juliekay@wcnc.com and follow her on Facebook, X and Instagram.
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